Diaphragm compressors of the general type illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,999 are widely used in many industries. A typical example is the health industry where such compressors are used with aspirators and nebulizers in patient treatment, and these applications will be used as a frame of reference in describing the invention.
In the aspirator and nebulizer environment several factors in addition to the ability to achieve a stated pressure level are important. Prominent among these in the high volume health industry is cost. Such compressors of necessity require several working parts which must conform to rather precise tolerance limits and hence the cost of such compressors, particularly when they are employed in "single-use" applications, has traditionally been quite high. Significant typical cost components include screws and other connectors. The complexity of prior constructions has also resulted in significant assembly costs which again tends to increase the end cost of conventional compressors.